Free Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6) by Rochelle Paige Page A

was on the other end of the line using my dad’s phone would know what happened and could offer me some advice about what to do for Selene.
    “Thank the Goddess you answered,” Audra cried. “Are you both okay? I can’t believe Selene was able to hold that spell to protect us from so far away. I’ve never seen such a magnificent display of magical power before.”
    “I’m fine, but Selene’s not.” I couldn’t bear to describe her current state to her mom. Not when I felt like I’d failed my mate and I wasn’t sure if she’d recover from this.
    “Does it look like she’s sleeping after being sick for a long time?”
    It was an apt description of Selene’s appearance. “Yes.”
    “The bigger the spell, the higher the toll a witch usually pays. I’m sure it must be frightening to see her looking like this. Considering how new she is to the strength of her powers, I would expect her body hasn’t had time to adjust to them yet. This will hopefully be the most she’ll suffer from the use of her powers, and the worst you’ll have to see.”
    “Fuck,” I gasped. “It’s bad, Audra. For a minute there, I thought she was dead.”
    “I’m so sorry, Camden. I should have warned you about the downside to large displays of power, but I never expected she’d have to do something like this so soon.”
    “What happened over there?”
    “The dark practitioners launched an attack on your father. Tempest and I were barely holding it off when I felt Selene’s presence in my mind. Then, the house was surrounded by a wall of water, wind whipping over the roof. The floor of your dad’s living room opened up and a fence of rocks surrounded him in the blink of an eye. It all happened in less than a minute—water, air, and earth spells in unison. I’ve never seen or even heard of anything like it, not from spells cast by a lone witch.”
    “My dad wasn’t hurt?”
    “The dark practitioners didn’t stand a chance, not against my daughter,” she assured me, pride evident in her tone. “Do you want me to come over and help with Selene? There isn’t much either of us can do for her. Sleep is the best medicine while her magic recharges.”
    “I’ll watch over her,” I promised. “If anything changes, I’ll call.”
    I was relieved to know my dad was safe, and proud as hell it was my mate who had protected him, but I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen next, or how I’d be able to keep her safe when she needed it.

Chapter 10
Selene
    O ne minute I was wrapped in Camden’s arms, trying to recover from the most intense orgasm ever, and the next, I was waking up to the sun high in the sky and feeling like I’d drunk an entire bottle of tequila by myself. “Oh my Goddess,” I moaned.
    “Thank fuck.” Camden’s growl came from the left of the bed. I turned my head to look in his direction and found him sitting in a chair beside me. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, with wrinkled clothes and a scruffy jaw.
    “How long was I out of it?” I’d felt the recoil from using magic before, but never to this extent.
    He didn’t look at the alarm clock before answering. “Sixteen hours and twenty-six minutes.”
    “You didn’t count the seconds?” It was a lame attempt at a joke; one Camden didn’t seem to appreciate, judging by the glare he sent my way.
    “I would have counted them, but I was too busy flipping the fuck out to keep track of the time that precisely,” he snapped. “I spent the first minute thinking you were dead. After I had confirmed your heart was beating and you were breathing, I managed to answer my phone and talk to your mom. She insisted you’d be okay, but she has also called to check on you about a dozen times since then. It didn’t exactly instill a hell of a lot of confidence in me for your well-being.”
    “I’m sorry you were worried about me. I know it can be scary. The first time I saw my mom when she was recovering from a difficult spell, I was